pickier; pickiest
: very careful or too careful about choosing or accepting things : fussy, choosy
a picky eater
Because pen collectors are a picky lot, and some antiques dealers who are not in the pen business can overlook the details of condition, there is occasional friction.—
Bill Holland
Bill HollandWith rising ticket prices and new competition from cable TV, cost-conscious families may be pickier about the movies they choose to see.—David Ansen and Martin Kasindorf
David Ansen and Martin Kasindorf
pickiness
noun
Taylor mocks Zavala for the size of his extended Mexican family, their endless chatter and the frequency of their quinceaneras. Zavala ribs Taylor for his white-person pickiness about artisanal coffee and marriage.
—Belinda Luscombe
Belinda Luscombe
Now jobless and forced to live with five housemates in San Jose, Calif., she comes away from every job interview discouraged by employers' pickiness.
—Daniel McGinn
Daniel McGinn
Examples of picky in a Sentence
a picky cat who would only eat one particular kind of food, and only if it was served in his special dish
she's picky, but she always finds the best quality in fresh meat and fish
Recent Examples on the Web
Finding fault that someone is smiling is really picky.
—Ticked Off, The Orlando Sentinel, 29 June 2025
Don’t let anyone convince you that having standards is the same as being too picky.
—Anna Pulley, Chicago Tribune, 26 June 2025
Cherry laurel isn't super picky and will tolerate dry, poor, and alkaline soils, salt, as well as heavy pruning.
—Patricia Shannon, Southern Living, 10 June 2025
For younger children or more picky eaters, start with something simple and approachable, like steaming edamame (young soybeans) or adding black beans to a cheesy quesadilla.
—Dr. Kelly Fradin, CNBC, 20 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for picky
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Ticked Off, The Orlando Sentinel, 29 June 2025
Don’t let anyone convince you that having standards is the same as being too picky.
—Anna Pulley, Chicago Tribune, 26 June 2025
Cherry laurel isn't super picky and will tolerate dry, poor, and alkaline soils, salt, as well as heavy pruning.
—Patricia Shannon, Southern Living, 10 June 2025
For younger children or more picky eaters, start with something simple and approachable, like steaming edamame (young soybeans) or adding black beans to a cheesy quesadilla.
—Dr. Kelly Fradin, CNBC, 20 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for picky
Cite this Entry
“Picky.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/picky. Accessed 9 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share